The Lipizzan or Lipizzaner is a breed of horse closely associated with the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Austria, where they demonstrate the haute école or “high school” move- ments of classical dressage, includ- ing the highly controlled, stylized jumps and other movements known as the “airs above the ground.” The horses at the Spanish Riding School are trained using traditional methods that date back hundreds of years, based on the principles of classical dressage.

wine grape and mak- ing wine, is rarely discussed. Perhaps it’s because it was so fleeting. Yet, it’s very important to note and not

W be left current trailing

into the sunset. Es- pecially now, during this

time of

the renewed Russians interest in what resources the United States has to offer.

The Russian River, Russian River

Valley, Rus- sian River Road

From the Rus- sian Ameri- can Company Council, an 1813 report to Emperor

trade Califor- and the

ho arrived in So- noma County first, to

begin growing

sian maritime fur traders which was important for the Russian American Company. Hunters were working east from Kamchatka, along the Aleutian Islands, to the southern coast of Alas- ka. Some continued to migrate southward, and finally arrived at their southern-most

indelible fingerprint in Russian River Valley, with their viticul- tural practices. They then re- turned to Russia, just missing the gold rush, as it turns out. (Big historical regret there, I’m betting.) Unlike the Christo Crew, who invaded in 1492, and killed as many natives as they could find, the Russians were more polite and integrating. They bought land from a native Pomo tribe. Then, they established a terri- tory in the Fort Ross area, cre- ating the Fort as it now stands; a tourist destination. It’s not the presumed Italians, French, nor the

or in some other place not oc- cupied by Europeans, and to introduce agriculture there by planting hemp, flax and all manner of garden produce.” [From: The Russian American Colonies]

It was an invasion of Rus-

ish, Italian, and French im- migrants; because they came, they saw, and they stayed, dur-

ing that idealized Gold Rush time. But, historically speak- ing, it was the Russians who made that very first mark along the Pacific coastline, leaving an

[PHOTO CREDIT: By Russian Post, Publishing and Trade Centre “Mar- ka” (ИТЦ «Марка»). The design of the stamp by A. Polotnova. Scanned by Dmitry Ivanov. – From a personal collection, Public Domain.]

name Russian River Valley and the Rus- sian River, for example; they left their mark. From For- tRossState- Park.org:

“Science Un- der Sail: Rus- sia’s Great Voyages to America

[in]

1728-1867 tells the story of early Rus- sian maritime

exploration in the North Pacif- ic. [Nearly 300] years ago, Rus- sian naturalists, ethnographers, astronomers, cartographers, geographers and artists first de- scribed the west coast of Amer- ica to the rest of the world. To this

“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” ~ Lao Tzu